Historic properties are irreplaceable and require special care to ensure
their preservation for future generations. With the passage of the Americans
with Disabilities Act, access to historic properties open to the public
is a now civil right, and owners of historic properties must evaluate existing
buildings and determine how they can be made more accessible. It is
a challenge to evaluate properties thoroughly, to identify the applicable
accessibility requirements, to explore alternatives and to implement solutions
that provide independent access and are consistent with accepted historic
preservation standards. Solutions for accessibility should not destroy
a property's
significant materials, features and spaces, but should increase accessibility
as much as possible. Most historic buildings are not exempt from providing
accessibility, and with careful planning, historic properties can be made
more accessible, so that all citizens can enjoy our Nation's diverse heritage.
Selected Reading
Ballantyne, Duncan S. and Harold Russell Associates, Inc. Accommodation
of Disabled Visitors at Historic Sites in the National Park System.
Washington, D.C.: Park Historic Architecture Division, National Park
Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1983.
Goldman, Nancy. Ed. Readily Achievable Checklist: A Survey for
Accessibility. Boston: Adaptive Environments Center, 1993.
Hayward, Judith L. and Thomas C. Jester, compilers. Accessibility
and Historic Preservation Resource Guide. Windsor, Vermont: Historic
Windsor, Inc., 1992, revised 1993.
Jester, Thomas C. Preserving the Past and Making it Accessible
for People with Disabilities. Washington, D.C.: Preservation Assistance
Division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1992.
Parrott, Charles. Access to Historic Buildings for the Disabled.
Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of the Interior, 1980.
Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic
Properties. Washington, D.C.: Preservation Assistance Division, National
Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1993.
Smith, William D. and Tara Goodwin Frier. Access to History: A Guide
to Providing Access to Historic Buildings for People with Disabilities.
Boston: Massachusetts Historical Commission, 1989.
Standards for Accessible Design: ADA Accessibility Guidelines
(ADAAG). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice, 1991.
Acknowledgements
Thomas C. Jester is an Architectural Historian with the Preservation
Assistance Division of the National Park Service. Sharon C. Park, AIA,
is the Senior Historical Architect with the Preservation Assistance Division,
National Park Service.
The authors wish to thank Charles A. Birnbaum, ASLA, Historical Landscape
Architect with the Preservation Assistance Division, National Park Service,
for contributing the section on historic landscapes. The authors gratefully
acknowledge the invaluable comments made by the following individuals who
reviewed the draft manuscript: William Smith, Massachusetts Historical
Commission; Kay Weeks, H. Ward Jandl, Michael Auer, and Charles A. Birnbaum,
Preservation Assistance Division, National Park Service; Clare Adams, New
York Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation; Lauren
Bowlin, Maryland Historical Trust; Tom Mayes, National Trust for Historic
Preservation; Elizabeth Igleheart, Maine Historic Preservation Commission;
Milford Wayne Donaldson, FAIA; Paul Beatty, U.S. Architectural and Transportation
Barriers Compliance Board; Mid-Atlantic Regional Office, National Park
Service; Western Regional Office, National Park Service.
Washington, D.C.September, 1993
This publication has been prepared pursuant to the National
Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, which directs the Secretary
of the Interior to develop and make available information concerning historic
properties. Technical Preservation Services (TPS), Heritage Preservation
Services Division, National Park Service prepares standards, guidelines,
and other educational materials on responsible historic preservation treatments
for a broad public.
"Making Historic Properties Accessible" an Historic Preservation Brief
